Daily Archives: April 21, 2006

Open thread

April 21, 200612:05 p.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (146)

Hu cares about human rights?

April 21, 200612:04 p.m.

The incident ruffled official protocol, and led to an apology from President Bush, but a Chinese woman’s disruptive protest Thursday at a White House ceremony for Chinese President Hu Jintao was a reminder of China’s brutal political and religious oppression.
The woman (in photo) shouted support for Falun Gong, a meditation movement banned by Chinese authorities as an “evil cult.” Since 1999, China has jailed tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners; hundreds have been beaten, tortured or killed, according to Falun Gong supporters.
China’s dismal human rights record too often is swept under the rug by U.S. government and business leaders concerned with securing trade agreements.
In protesting the imprisonment of Falun Gong members in China, the woman likely will be charged with “attempting to intimidate, coerce, threaten or harass a foreign official in the performance of his duties, punishable by as much as six months in prison,” The Washington Post reported.
FYI: In private, Bush did talk to Hu about some specific human-rights cases, including North Korean asylum seeker Kim Chun Hee, aides said. And Bush asked about a list of Chinese political prisoners that he gave Hu during a meeting at the United Nations in September, and he gave him a new list of six detainees he hopes will be released, the Post reported.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (33)

Oops, Kline says he really didn’t successfully defend law

April 21, 200612:07 a.m.

Contrary to the statement released by his office Tuesday (which was still on his Web site as of Thursday evening), Attorney General Phill Kline does not think he won the case about mandatory reporting of underage sexual activity. “That was a mistake,” he told The Eagle editorial board. “It’s not a victory.” No kidding.
In fact, Kline contends that by allowing health professionals to exercise their judgment about when teen sex is injurious and should be reported, U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten’s order establishes a constitutional right to privacy that threatens other reporting laws. “The truth is Judge Marten’s decision went too far,” he said.
So does that mean that Kline is likely to appeal the decision? Yes, he said.
Great, more good tax money thrown after Kline’s bad opinion.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (22)

For McCain, rising cost of oil has an upside

April 21, 200612:05 a.m.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, didn’t even bother to campaign for president in corn-rich Iowa in 2000 because of his opposition to federal subsidies for ethanol, on the grounds that the alternative fuel is too costly to produce. But last week he was able to campaign in Cedar Rapids and newly finesse his ethanol stand in advance of 2008’s first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses: “At $10 a barrel (for oil), I don’t think ethanol was a very viable option. At $60 or $70 a barrel, I think it needs to be examined,” said McCain, adding that he still opposes subsidies. He also may have realized that only 90,000 of nearly 3 million Iowans farm these days, and that, as Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen observed, “it’s not necessary to engage in agri-pandering to win Iowa.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (9)

So much for Congress’ oversight of Iranian threat?

April 21, 200612:03 a.m.

With Iran in the news, the Senate Intelligence Committee chaired by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., should be deeply engaged in the question of what weapons Iran has and when it might go nuclear, right? Right? But “we have not made the progress on our oversight of Iran intelligence, which is critical,” Roberts says in the current U.S. News & World Report, also complaining about Democrats who are “more focused on intelligence failures of the past.” Yes, Americans are eager to see the committee’s long-awaited review of prewar intelligence on Iraq’s weapons threat. But they also should be able to count on Roberts’ committee to work on more than one threat at a time.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (32)

Anti-immigration rhetoric could backfire for GOP

April 21, 200612:01 a.m.

Will the Rep. Tom Tancredo (in photo) wing of the Republican Party erase the gains that President Bush made with Hispanic voters in 2004? Some think that the drastic positions against illegal immigrants being taken by some Republicans will cost the party key Hispanic votes — votes that have the potential to change outcomes in some swing states. This Salon.com article notes:
“Tamar Jacoby, an immigration expert at the right-of-center Manhattan Institute who favors giving illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship, said that Republicans should be worried about the political effect of inflammatory rhetoric targeting Hispanics. ‘It takes decades to build a reputation and you lose it in a day,’ she said. ‘If this doesn’t scare some Republicans to ask, “What side of history am I on,” then they are not paying attention.’ ”
Posted by Melissa Cooley

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (21)